Built by order of the Emperor Hadrian in AD 122, Hadrian's Wall is the best known and most important Roman monument in Britain, stretching 117km (73 miles) across the north of England, from Wallsend-on-Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway. The wall was built to mark the northern boundary of the Roman Empire in the British Isles and to keep out the barbarians to the north. After the Empire receded in the fifth century AD, the wall was left to decay, and many of its stones were used in the construction of nearby buildings. Vast sections of the wall still remain and there are many different sites to be visited along the wall. Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum is an excavated fort located amidst spectacular scenery, and contains the only visible example of a Roman hospital in Britain. Vindolanda Fort and Museum is an open-air museum containing authentic reconstructions of the wall, as well as a Roman temple, house and shop. The Roman Army Museum at Carvoran provides an insight into the life of a Roman soldier, through models, reconstructions and artefacts. Chesters Roman Fort and Museum is an extensively excavated cavalry fort with impressive Roman bathhouse remains.
Air: London City Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Heathrow Airport. Rail: Train: Greenwich Station or Maze Hill Station. Docklands Light Railway: Cutty Sark Station or Greenwich Station. Road: Bus: Public services.

Hadrian's Wall Tourism Partnership, 14b Gilesgate, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 3NJ, UK
Tel: (01434) 602 505 or 322 002
Website: www.hadrians-wall.org

England, United Kingdom